Eligibility to access GP services

GP services are provided free of charge to everyone in
need of care. Your immigration status should not affect your ability to
register with a GP. For more information, see Overseas visitors and GPs.

Registering as
a permanent patient (more than three months). If you are planning to be in one
area of the UK for more than three months, you can register as a permanent
patient with a local GP. This will enable you to build a relationship with a GP
practice, and allow the GP(s) to become familiar with you and any medical
conditions you may have.

Registering as
a temporary patient (less than three months). If you are visiting an area of the
UK for less than three months, you are eligible to register with a GP as a
temporary patient.

Urgent treatment
without registering (up to 14 days).
If you need to see a GP for urgent treatment, you can
receive care without registering with the practice for a period of 14 days,
after which you will need to register as a temporary patient. A GP should
provide urgent treatment even if you have been refused permanent or temporary
registration with the practice.

Eligibility to register as a permanent patient

While everyone is entitled to see a GP, there are a
few conditions that affect which GP
you can register with as a permanent patient. These conditions apply to
everyone receiving primary care.

Do you live within
the GP catchment area? The main
condition when registering with a GP is that you must live within a GP’s catchment area. This is a defined
location that surrounds every GP practice in the UK. Currently, GPs will only
register patients who live within their catchment area. However, this
requirement may change in the future. See Finding
and choosing a GP.

Is the GP practice
currently accepting new patients? GP practices do not accept new
patients all the time. One of the most common reasons why someone will be
unable to register at a particular GP practice is because its patient list is
full. It can sometimes be difficult to find a GP practice that is accepting new
patients.

Registration is at
the discretion of the GP. A
GP practice can refuse the registration of a patient, if it has reasonable
grounds for doing so. If it decides to do this, the practice must notify you in
writing, telling you the reason for refusal. Other than occasions where someone
lives outside the catchment area for the practice, it is rare for this to
happen.

It is important to remember that, under the Equality Act 2010, GPs are not allowed
to refuse care to someone on the basis of disability (which includes HIV), race,
sex, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy
or maternity.

This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.

NAM’s information is intended to support, rather than replace, consultation with a healthcare professional. Talk to your doctor or another member of your healthcare team for advice tailored to your situation.